Egg-crate.



R. E. MILLER.

EGG CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 5, I914. L123fl13 Patented June 22, 1915.

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R. E. MILLER.

EGG cam. APPLICATION FILED MAY 5,1914. 1 ma l 3m- Patented June 22, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

I M .w f f [9 13q 15 H I 19 i 16 22 J 1510 R1 INVENTOR E'Mller I TTORNEYS ROBERT E. MILLER, OF PECOS, TEXAS.

EGG-CRATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 22, 19115.

Application filed May 5, 1914. Serial No. 836,422.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ROBERT E. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pecos, in the county of Reeves and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Egg-Crates, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in egg crates, and its object is to provide a crate in which eggs may be shipped by freight, express or parcels post or may be delivered from place to place in any other manner, without being cracked or broken by such jolting and rough usage as packages ordinarily receive in transit.

A further object is to provide a device of,

the character described, that will be strong,

durable, simple and eflicient and comparatively easy to construct.

With these and various other objects in view, my invention has relation to certain novel features of the construction, an example of which is described in the following specification, and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view showing my improved egg crate in side elevation. Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the same, with certain parts broken away to reveal interior construction. Fig. 3 is an end View. Fig. 4c is a vertical sectional view of the crate. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top view of one of the compartment-forming frames which are superimposed upon each other in pairs in my crate, and carry receptacles to engage the ends of the eggs which are vertically mounted in the crate. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view showing how the compartment forming frames are constructed. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view showing two of the egg receptacles which I employ to engage the ends of a vertically disposed egg.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate similar parts in all the figures, the numerals 1 and 2 respectively denote the rigidly connected side and end walls of my crate, the same being of rectangular form. Beneath each corner of the crate, there is secured a substantially triangular sheet metal plate 3 formed with a pair of upwardly projecting lugs 4 and 5, which are respectively secured to the correlated side wall and end wall of the crate as is best illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. The plate 3 constitutes a support for the bottom (5 of the crate, which bottom rests upon four coiled springs 7 secured to the underside of its corners. Upon the bottom of the crate, there are supported several superimposed pairs of compartment-forming frames comprised of two series of members 8 and 9 intersecting each other at right angles. The members 8 and 9 will preferably be formed of strong pasteboard, although wood or some other light material might also be used for the purpose. Connection between the members 8 and 9 of each compartmentforming frame will preferably be established by forming one set of said members with a plurality of slots 10 extending upwardly from their lower edges, and the other set with similar slots extending downwardly from the upper edges, the slots in each set of said members being proportioned to frictionally engage the members of the other set. In each compartment of each of the frames formed by the members 8 and 9, there is permanently mounted a receptacle 12 having substantially a funnel shape, and formed of pressed pasteboard or some other material having considerable stiifness as well as some elasticity. Each cup shaped receptacle 12 has its ends crimped, puckered or gathered to form the rounded bottom or top of the receptacle. Various fastening devices may be employed to permanently hold the receptacles permanently mounted in the frames, but it is preferred to employ small wire clamping devices 13, which will rigidly engage each receptacle at the point of contact of its rim with the members 8 and 9. The members 12 mounted in each pair of compartment-forming frames are oppositely disposed, so that the upper and lower extremities of an egg may be respectively engaged within the receptacles 12 mounted in the upper and lower frames of a pair. The crate illustrated in the present instance contains three pairs of the comp artment-forming frames, between which are interposed sheets of pasteboard or some suitable packing material as indicated at 13. Each of the frames comprised by the members 8 and 9 is so proportioned as to fit snugly within the casing comprised by the walls 1 and 2, the receptacles engaging the two extremities of an egg thus being maintained in their proper vertical alinement. My crate 1s provided with a removable cover 14:, having its ends slightly overhanging the end walls of the crate, and having transverse strips I l mounted upon the under surface of its ends contiguous with the exterior faces of the walls 2.

Upon the extremities of the cover 1 1, there. are rigidly mounted two brackets 15, each of which isformed with aobead l5 transverse of the cover. Beneath the bead 15 of one of said brackets, there is pivoted a wire fastening member 16, said member forming aloop which may be swung down adjacent to the correlated end of the crate to engage beneath a hooked bracket 17 mounted upon said end. Beneath the bead 15 of the other bracket 15, there is pivoted a wire member 18, forming a pair of parallel arms, which terminate at their free ends in loops 19 alined transversely of the crate. The loops 19 pivotally support a wire clamping member 20, having a horizontal upper portion 21, which may be firmly engaged beneath an angular bracket 22 mounted upon the adjacent end wall of the casing, when said clamping member is subjected to a slight angular motion, by which its lower end is displaced toward the casing. As the portion 21 of the clamping member is frictionally engaged with the top of the bracket 22, the portions of the clamping member which pass through the loop 19 will subject the member 18 to a downward thrust, whereby the cover 1 1 will be securely fastened in place upon the casing.

. The resilient mounting of the bottom of the crate, will tend to reduce the shock transmitted to the compartment-formingframes resting upon said bottom, when my crate is roughly or carelessly put down upon a floor. It will of course be understood that the springs supporting the crate bottom may be varied as to number and shape and size. By engaging each egg as has been described between an opposed pair of receptacles, whatever strain is put upon the eggs will in almost every case act in the direction of the long axis thereof, and as is well known, the shell of an egg is capable of resisting quite a powerful strain acting as specified. In case a laterally acting shock is communicated to the crate, and thence to the compartmentforming frames, the receptacles 12 being formed of somewhat resilient material will tend to cushion or absorb said shock and thereby protect the eggs.

The invention is presented as including all such modifications and changes as properly come within the scope of the following claim.

What I claim is:

In a device of the character described, in combination with a series of frames each formed into a series of compartments and a sheet of packing material interposed between superposed frames in series, of a cup shaped egg receiving member formed of flexible and elastic material and having its base gathered to form a rounded bearing surface for the egg and a Wire clamping device connecting the rim of an egg receiving member with a side wall of a compartment of a frame.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT E. MILLER.

Witnesses:

J. W. WADLEY, W. S. MARSHALL.

O'opies oi this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0'. 

